The  Government of the Republic of Ghana has applied for funds from the International Fund a for Agricultural Develepment (IFAD) to implement the Ghana  Agricutural Sector Investment Programme (GASIP). The Programme provides a framework for a long-term financing engagement for private sector-led, pro-poor agricultural value chain development in Ghana. The objective of the programme is to contribute to sustamable poverty reduction in rural Ghana, ensuring that agribusinesses - including smallholders - increase their profitability and resilience to climate change- The programme is national in scope and governed by a demand - and market-driven approach that will provide a basis for scaling up investments in pro-poor agricultural vaiue chain development led by the private sector. The strategic focus of GASIP will be on smallholder farmers, to make them more competitive by increasing their capacity to respond to market demand in terms of quality, price, time and volume thus contributing to METASIP objectives. At least 62T860 clients or direct beneficiaries will be targeted towards the end of project year 3 (PY3) and 86,400 clients by PY6, of which at least 50% will be women, 20% youth (15-24 years) and 30% young adults (25-34 years).

Job Summary

Component 1: Value Chain Development - is central to ensuring strong business linkages among actors in the entire value chains of commodities to ensure they meet market or consumer and industry demands. It has three sub-components: Agribusiness linkage development; rural financial services and climate change resilience which needs to be mainstreamed in promoting value chains to reduce risks and enhance profitability and justainable production systems.

Component 2: Rural Value Chain Infrastructure - aimed at providing the enabling infrastructure to catalyze value chain development, it has two sub-components: Productive infrastructure   and   Facilities aimed   at encouraging   investments   in   commercial infrastructure and facilities for the selected value chains and Enabling Public Infrastructure - aimed to finance enabling public infrastructure for the growth and viability of selected value chains.

Component 3: Knowledge Management, Policy Support and Coordination aimed at harnessing successful lessons for replication and providing an enabling environment for optimization of programme opportunities and benefits. The two sub-components are Knowledge Management, Harmonization and Policy Support- aims at creating an enabling environment for smallholders to participate in profitable and climate change resilient agricultural value chains and Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Programme.

The Programme which is planned for six years is expected to commence in January 2015 under the responsibility of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA). It builds on the achievements of some on-going and soon-to-complete projects such as Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) and Root and Tuber improvement and Marketing Programme (RTIMP). GASIP will have a National Programme Coordination Unit in Accra and three Zonal Programme Offices (ZPO) in Kumasi, Tamale and Dodowa. The NPCU shall be composed of (i) National Programme Coordinator, (ii) a Policy and M&E Manager, (iii) a Financial Manager, (iv) Procurement and Contract Manager, (v) a Climate Change Adaptation Manager, (vi) an Infrastructure Manager, and other professional and support staff.

The Programme Procurement Manager (PPM) will ensure the establishment of a procurement management system for GASIP based on the Ghana Public Procurement Act and guidelines and procedures for procurement under IFAD funded projects and other bilateral/multilateral donor unded projects for the procurement of goods, works, services and contract management.

Duties and Responsibilities include:

•   Management of all aspects of the procurement activities of the Programme
•   Ensure that procurement procedures as contained in the Procurement Manual approved by IFAD are followed.
•   Provide technical procurement advice and support to the Programme Implementation Team.
•   Prepare and update the general and detailed procurement plans in consultation with the Programme Implementation Team.
•   Coordinate preparation of post procurement reviews and participate in supervision and implementation support missions.
•   Coordinate and conduct procurement training workshops to relevant Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) as required.
•   Establish and regularly update a performance monitoring database for all suppliers and consultants,
•   Perform other tasks as the job role may demand from time to time.

Line Management: Reports to the National Programme Coordinator

Qualification Required & Experience

•   A minimum of 7 years extensive experience in programme procurement in the field of engineering, infrastructure services, public works and consultants.
•   A university degree, either in Public Administration, Accounting, Business, Economics,Engineering or any other relevant discipline,
•   Specific Procurement training or accreditation,
•   Procurement experience in donor funded projects is essential
•   Comprehensive   knowledge   of  the   Public  Procurement   Regulations  and understanding of technical, commercial and legal aspects of procurement.
•   Capacity to coordinate and control complex procurement procedures and achieve goals under difficult conditions, as welt as a sound record of interpersonal relations at all levels of hierarchy. Strong commitment to maintaining and safeguarding the integrity of programme funds is a pre-requisite.
•   Demonstrated analytical clarity, problem-solving skills and negotiating skills with ability to balance programme objectives and procurement requirements,
•   Computer skills; word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software.
•   Proven fluency in oral and written English

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

Qualified and interested applicants should send application letters with copies of curriculum vitae, certificates and other relevant documentation to:

The Chief Director
Ministry of Food and Agriculture
PO Box M 37, Accra, Ghana

For further information please contact:

chiefdir@mofa.gov.gh
Tel: +233-0302-660935

MINISTRY OFFOOD AND AGRICULTURE (MOFA)
PO BOX MB.37, ACCRA

Applicants are to include direct contacts (reliable telephone, fax numbers and email address) in their applications in order to facilitate early and easy contact.

Closing Date: 22 August, 2014